In the age of broadband, there aren’t many reasons to not be able to smoothly control your primary PC from a remote computer. GoToMyPC fills that niche, with an automatic install and quick registration process, crossplatform functionality, handheld device and multiple monitor support, and AES 128-bit encryption.
But in the age of freeware, GoToMyPC only offers a free 30-day trial. After that, you’re looking at $20 per month for one PC or $30 for two, with each additional PC an extra $15 per month and 25 percent discounts for yearly subscriptions. That’s not cheap.
The app itself works well. We were able to control our home computer from the office, and vice versa, with no problems. You connect by going to the GoToMyPC Web site and logging in. A window then opens, bordered in Medusa-esque green, which emulates the screen of the remote PC. Programs on the remote all open within the green border, with some extra remote functions included in the border itself. You can restart the remote computer (and lose the connection), send and sync files, print, and adjust the remote window size, among other tasks.
Everything the program said it would do, it did. And that’s a beautiful and rare thing. The cost is a deterrent, though, especially when the competition is offering up better deals.